"Lightning? A six-winged angel?!"
"Wait—hold on! That's the Demon, Ren!"
"Why would a four-hundred-million–Beli pirate show up here?! This isn't even the same route!"
Almost instantly, the reveling gamblers recognized the six-winged angel in the sky.
Six golden wings—like a suit of magnificent armor forged from flowing light—wrapped his body in radiant brilliance.
In the latest newspapers, that resplendent halo was releasing a holy glow.
There was no mistake.
That was Demon Ren.
The terrifying demon king who had slain a Warlord of the Sea—Crocodile—destroyed Mock Town, and permanently altered the geography of Jaya Island.
The moment this truth set in, the crowd scattered as if a bomb had gone off.
At that exact moment, Tesoro shoved aside the rubble, rose from the ruins, and roared toward the sky.
"Lord Tesoro!"
Countless gamblers cheered in delight.
A four-hundred-million pirate was terrifying, yes—
But the Golden Emperor of Gran Tesoro, who shielded them with one hand, might yet suppress the Fierce God with the other!
However—
The instant Tesoro's eyes met the crimson pupils of the six-winged angel—
A ferocious demonic aura erupted.
Killing Intent — Demon Sovereign!
Murderous intent surged like a breached dam, a sea of corpses and blood unfurling into a hellish vision.
A black-violet demonic shadow roared skyward, dark-red fissures sketching a savage grin.
The gilded world dimmed in an instant, transforming into a murky blood pool.
Blood-soaked figures drifted within it—and among them, a woman's face seized Tesoro's heart.
"Why didn't you save me?!"
The lover buried deep within his memories clawed at him, her once-beautiful face now twisted with venom.
"No! I didn't abandon you!"
Tesoro trembled violently. Every cell in his body screamed.
It felt as though he were drowning—a lethal, crushing suffocation.
The vast amounts of gold he had just mobilized through his Devil Fruit froze for a split second—
Then, from the sky, lightning swords fell like a shower of stars.
Ten Thousand Thunders — Falling Stars!
Countless bolts bloomed in blinding radiance.Scorching heat reshaped gold under lightning's rule, forming a pure golden flower.
Amid the savage thunder, that golden blossom detonated—
BOOM—!
With a brutal impact, Ren—his hand wrapped in black-violet lightning—seized Tesoro by the throat.
Crack.
A sound like shattering glass rang out. The illusion vanished in an instant.
In its place came violent thunder, lightning exploding across the entire lower casino.
Roaring tides followed, washing over the ever-changing golden petals.
The gamblers who had been cheering moments ago froze like ducks with their throats grabbed.
"Tesoro… lost?!"
"Why didn't he turn that bastard into a golden statue?!"
"What are you waiting for—run!!"
At that final shout, the terrified crowd bolted for the exits, abandoning chips that clattered across the floor.
There were exceptions.
Some people—faces alight with excitement—mixed into the crowd, camera Den Den Mushi raised, trying desperately to capture footage.
Firsthand information meant a fortune.
At this level of piracy, reporters were everywhere—
HUM—!
The demonic shadow surged from the ground, crimson eyes slowly turning.
Ren held the struggling Tesoro aloft with one hand, endless lightning forming chains to temporarily suppress the Golden Emperor.
He turned his head slowly. A brilliant gleam ignited within his blood-red eyes.
The killing intent did not burst out immediately.After condensing, it transformed into another overwhelming presence—
Conqueror's Haki—!
Murderous aura and kingly will fused into a shockwave that swept across the entire first floor at terrifying speed.
Those fleeing, peeking, or cheering—their bodies stiffened in unison, eyes rolling back as they collapsed unconscious.
Divine might, vast as an abyss—terrifying as hell itself.
Conqueror's Haki?!
Tesoro's face twitched in agony as his ability to connect with surrounding gold stalled.
For the first time, he felt genuine dread toward this young man he had known for only a few hours.
Seawater. Conqueror's Haki. A bizarre counter to luck-based abilities.
Compared to these, controlling lightning was practically the least remarkable power!
"Still want to fight?" Ren said calmly, turning his head."You're already the loser."
With Observation Haki, he sensed the tremors spreading through the structure—
No doubt Tesoro was trying to mobilize more gold.
"You think you can kill me?
It's just a bit of seawater. You might seize an opening with it, but don't think that means you've won!"
After realizing the threat of seawater, Tesoro had been guarding against it constantly.
Shifting gold barely blocked the flood; only his calves were submerged.
Give him just a little more time—and the situation would reverse!
"One second!" Tesoro roared, his face twisted in pain from lightning, eyes blazing with madness."Let's gamble! One second—either you kill me, or one second later, I kill you!"
He wagered his life—turning it into the stake.
"I told you already," Ren said flatly."I don't gamble."
"That's not up to you! I am the dominator!"
Haki poured from Tesoro as he resisted, the numbing paralysis slowly weakening—
Then his roar cut off abruptly.
Because—
A pair of Seastone handcuffs snapped shut around his wrists.
All movement around them ceased.
An overwhelming weakness surged through Tesoro.
Seastone handcuffs?
So this was the trump card—saved until now?
Tesoro's pupils dilated as that suffocating sense of total control returned.
"You've lost, delusional madman."
The six-winged angel spoke with cold mockery.
"You call yourself a dominator.
Then why didn't you take revenge on the Celestial Dragons?
Or was Stella—the woman who haunted half your life—not worth staking everything against them?"
"How do you know that name?!"
Tesoro's pupils shrank violently.
Everyone who knew that past had long been buried.
The thing tormenting him all his life should have existed only within his own heart.
"I am a seer. You can verify it through your channels—ask the Revolutionaries."
Ren released him and stepped back, looking down coldly at Tesoro, who lay weak in the seawater.
"In a sense, I held back because we share the same enemy."
For Devil Fruit users, Seastone was the absolute nemesis.
And Ren possessed all three ultimate counters:Seastone handcuffs, Seastone bullets, and seawater.
Even so, using them on the Golden Emperor wasn't easy.
An opponent of this caliber had reaction speed and physical stats far too high.
Seawater took time to surge—it needed initial acceleration.
Ren used it to sever Tesoro's control over surrounding gold while avoiding contact himself, creating a false read.
After all, only Kuzan knew the truth—
That Ren was completely unaffected by seawater and Seastone.
Onigumo at most believed the clones were immune—some Devil Fruit derivatives were.
In their understanding, anyone with such bizarre powers had to be a Devil Fruit user.
And Devil Fruit users always feared seawater and Seastone.
That was ironclad common sense.
Seastone bullets could be deflected, blocked, or dodged.
At this level, bullet speed was far too slow.
Observation Haki could foresee them; Armament Haki—an invisible armor—could knock them aside before contact.
Seastone handcuffs required close contact—
And so became the final trump card.
No matter what, the battle was decided.
The Golden Emperor was the loser.
"A seer? What a joke!"
Even restrained by Seastone, Tesoro remained ferocious—showing neither fear nor submission.
For someone like him, perhaps death was liberation.
His current frenzy came solely from Ren speaking that name.
If not for the Seastone, he would have torn his enemy apart and turned him into gold.
"You think denying reality lets you escape the past?" Ren said, sitting cross-legged, watching him coldly."Or do you think, as a prisoner, I need to lie to you?"
"… "
Tesoro's rage froze for a moment.
Then his twisted expression collapsed into emptiness—into lifeless indifference.
Like a walking corpse. Like something broken beyond repair.
Those cold eyes stared at Ren.
"What do you want?"
"To talk."
Ren lifted his gaze.
The ceiling trembled. Shouts and the roar of sand erupted above—
That was the battle between Dice and Vivi.
He ignored it, returning his attention to Tesoro.
"Let's settle this using your own logic.
You lost the fight. That makes you the loser.
And losers must pay a price."
"You're not going to kill me? For money?"
Tesoro sneered disdainfully.
"Of course. Who in this world can ignore money?
One hundred million, one billion, ten billion—name it.
But don't think this ends here."
"No," Ren replied calmly."Money is necessary—but it isn't omnipotent."
"What are you saying?"
"Why keep ignoring it?" Ren said quietly."I told you already.
When it comes to the Celestial Dragons, we share the same stance.
Or have you lost even the courage to face yourself?"
"… "
"You see? You know it too."
Ren's eyes were filled with scorn.
"How truly pitiful, Tesoro.
Even the weakest civilians understand that blood debts must be repaid.
They even formed the Revolutionary Army—countless strong and weak alike risking everything for it.
Yet you—who possess immeasurable wealth, gold, power—
don't even have the courage to face what you truly want?"
"Shut up!"
Tesoro roared in fury.
But bound by two layers of restraint, he couldn't unleash even a fraction of his strength.
Oppression.
Crushing oppression.
Why was this man unaffected by seawater and Seastone?
Where had he even produced those Seastone handcuffs?!
All Tesoro could do was vent with words.
"What do you know?!
You have no idea how vast the World Government truly is!
You have no idea how unfathomable the Celestial Dragons' power is!
The waves those Revolutionaries stir—
to those monsters, they mean absolutely nothing!"
(End of Chapter)